Poland has played the role as Ukraine's biggest cheerleader in the European Union, followed by the Baltic states, perhaps.
Polish Ambassador to Ukraine Henryk Litwin, in an interview with the Kyiv Post, said Ukraine’s western neighbor of 38 million people will remain in Ukraine’s corner.
“We showed that the normal development of Europe is not possible without a safe and stable Ukraine, Belarus and this whole region,” Litwin said. “Either Ukraine enters the EU fast or this will be delayed – that doesn’t really matter too much. Ukraine stays a very important element of the European structure anyway, from an economic, security and political point of view.”
The Kremlin’s war against Ukraine is seen in Poland as not only a real danger to Ukraine’s independence and integrity, but also as a security threat to the whole region.
Today, Moscow is asserting a veto over the foreign and defense policies of Ukraine. But tomorrow, nothing is to prevent Russia from asserting a “zone of special interests” over EU or NATO countries, Litwin said.
The Poles have lobbied for tougher sanctions against Russia, but appear to be moderating for the sake of Western unity.
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski also emphasized unity in an interview with TOK-FM radio. He said that Poland supports keeping sanctions against Russia, but should not break Western unity.
“We do not exist on our own. We call on the EU to an internal compromise on the expectations and needs of Ukraine. If we conduct our own policy in such important matters, then we will be weaker, and our help will be less efficient,” Komorowski said.
Litwin said that Ukraine needs peace and that hope remains in the EU for eventual success of the Minsk II agreements of Feb. 12, reached among Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A tougher Western stance may not happen until Kyiv officially declares that the Minsk II deal is dead, he said.
Many Ukrainians are voting with their feet, however, and nearby Poland is a favored destination.
With Russia’s war against Ukraine also provoking a deeper economic crisis, more Ukrainians are seeking asylum in Poland. The number of applicants increased from 46 to 2318 in 2014.
The Polish government, meanwhile, is relaxing conditions for obtaining working permits and extending stays for Ukrainians.
Ukrainian emigration to Poland has been growing especially since the country entered the EU.
Marek Tatala of Civil Development Forum, a Polish think tank, finds it beneficial for the Polish economy. Ukrainians are mostly – by 60 percent – seasonal workers that are very much needed in agriculture and construction.
“I don’t see immigration as a threat to the Polish labor market, I see it as an opportunity,” Tatala said.
Litwin believes that the eventual introduction of a visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU will be mutually beneficial and that there is already the political will and consensus among the EU members to take this step.
Poland is also providing financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Budget funds directed to Ukraine amounted to some $8.1 million in 2014 while much more went from the local budgets and private funds.
During her visit to Kyiv in January, Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz announced the Polish state is providing credit guarantees of $112 million for reconstruction of the damaged areas of the war-torn Donbas and conducting the reforms.
Despite the hard times, Polish investors are cautious, but interested, in Ukraine’s market.
Polish businesses in Ukraine can usually be found in smaller cities, with investments of up to $100 million, often in food production, cosmetics or construction. Though small, these businesses have significant impact on local labor markets and local government budgets.
Kyiv Post staff writer Olena Gordiienko can be reached at [email protected].
